The Myth About Chavez Repressing Private Media

Separating myth from fact when it comes to Chavez’s record is a tiresome task given the level of propaganda leveled against him. Owen Jones in the Independent provides some context (and facts) behind Chavez’s media ‘domination’ in Venezuela:

In 2002, a Pinochet-style coup was launched against Chavez, and was only reversed by a popular uprising. Much of the privately owned media openly incited and supported the coup: imagine Cameron was kicked out of No 10 by British generals, with the support and incitement of rolling 24-hour news stations. ButVenezuela’s media is dominated by private broadcasters, some of whom make Fox News look like cuddly lefties. State television could rightly be accused of bias towards the government, which is perhaps why it has a measly 5.4 per cent audience share. Of seven major national newspapers, five support the opposition, and only one is sympathetic to the government.